Okay, I finally set up a slat water tank with 3 fish a week ago. The problem is, when I woke up today, one of the fish (a large red one with a bluish fin and and vertical glowing blue stripes) was laying on the bottom. I moved my ruler near him, and he got up and swam away. Then he sat on the bottom, so once again, I did my ruler. He seems okay now, but I just want to make sure he's not on the onset of something.

Also, the problem may be that I left the light and heater off at night and woke up late today (so the water was too cool).
Any suggestions?

Fish hate temperature variations, so if your running it from warm to cool quickly (like overnight) it sounds like you stressed your fish out. Did you put the fish in right away without cycling your tank? You said you set the tank up with 3 fish a week ago. Did the tank mature/cycle before you added the 3 fish or did you just toss them in? I'm still in the cycle process of my first reef tank, lots of stuff to learn you might want to poke around the net and research setting up a new tank. One thing I have definitly learned is there is barely any margin of error with SW as compared to FW. Good luck with your fish, hope they are OK!_________________Barby Girl

Well, I cycled for a week and a half (used water cleaner and cycle) while I was on vacation. I floated the fish for half an hour before putting them in. YOu're probobly right about temp. variation. However, now he's chasing his own tail rapidly and then sinking onto the bottom, getting up, and doing it again.

What are your tank parameters (I.e. temp, salinity, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate)? A week and a half doesn't sound like a very long cycle period. It took the better part of a month to cycle my 56 gallon reef.

I'm sorry your fish died. But it does sound like you need to do more research and planning before you attempt any more fish in your tank.

Regarding cycling, Cycle is imho, not a good product. Instead, I would use either pure ammonia or something like a small piece of frozen shrimp to release ammonia into the tank so that it can properly cycle. A cycle should take about a month to complete, depending. If you have live rock or live sand, then that will help "seed" your tank with the beneficial bacteria needed for the cycle process.

You need to have the following test kits and know how to use them: pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate. It would also be a good idea to have test kits for Phosphate and KH/GH, too. You will also need a hydrometer to measure you salinity and naturally a thermometer for temp.

You haven't stated the tank size nor what type of fish you tried to put in (from your description it might have been a Flame Angelfish?). You really need to research the individual species so that you will know if your tank is suitable.

Above all, the key to a successful tank is patience. Bad things happen quickly. Good things take time.

What could have happened is called ammonia poisoning. You released 3 fish into a tank that couldn't convert the waste (ammonia) produced by the fish. As the levels of ammonia increased, the health of the fish declined until they couldn't handle living in their own waste and died. Sounds harsh, and it is.

Research how to properly cycle a tank before you buy any other fish please._________________Out on the road today...I saw a DeadHead sticker on a Cadillac...
Jack
110 Gallon DSA Pentagon

"a large red one with a bluish fin..."
Hmmm, you don't even know the names of the fish you were keeping? My friend, please make your next purchase a good book before putting any more reef life at risk. Your knowledge will bring you success... Try THE CONSCIENTOUS MARINE AQUARIST by Fenner... dang, I need to get a percentage on this book from Bob..._________________Keepin' marines happy for 25 years